Suspect in Two Slayings Held in Colorado : Crime: Police say Douglas Stanley killed his sister-in-law and another woman in Fountain Valley. A gun falls from his pants as he is being questioned.

Douglas Frederick Stanley, the fugitive wanted in connection with the murders of two women in a Fountain Valley embroidery shop last week, was captured over the weekend in a small Colorado town when the suspected murder weapon dropped from his pants as police questioned him at a roadside rest stop, authorities said Monday.

As police began to piece together Stanley’s flight and the case against him, the 57-year-old suspect appeared in court Monday in extradition proceedings.

Police have not detailed a motive in the case other than a personal grudge that they say may have led to the fatal shootings of Stanley’s sister-in-law, 52-year-old Joyce Stanley, and Terry Vasquez, 41, an employee of hers.

Stanley, a onetime ranch hand said to have a penchant for guns, had been on the run for 2 1/2 days at the time of his arrest. Southern California authorities had cast a wide net in their search, suspecting that Stanley might be in Wyoming or Texas, both areas in which he had lived, or Ensenada, Mexico, where he had gone for heart medication.

According to Uinta County sheriff’s investigator Ron Noorda in Wyoming, Stanley called two old friends in the area last Wednesday--the day before the murders--and told them that “he had made plans and he was going to take out his brother, his sister-in-law and someone else and that he had it all worked out.”

The friends called police two days later, Noorda said.

“They were concerned that he may show up, and they didn’t want him here,” said Sheriff Forrest Bright.

James Wilson, who was contacted by Stanley, said he did not want to talk about the conversation. “Doug and I were good friends. Even though the man done what he done, we’re still good friends,” he said.

Stanley was spotted in Parachute, Colo., a rural town of 900 about 48 miles from Grand Junction in western Colorado.

He had no known ties to the area, but police in Parachute and in neighboring areas were alerted about 1:30 a.m. Sunday to be on the lookout for Stanley after state troopers found an abandoned and beat-up Buick LeSabre in the town of DeBeque, 12 miles south of Parachute.

Police say Stanley stole the car from Joyce Stanley after killing her and Vasquez in Fountain Valley Thursday morning at the custom embroidery shop.

Within minutes of the bulletin, Parachute Police Officer Jerry Beers saw a man sitting on a bench at a rest stop who matched the description--brown hair, brown eyes, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 165 pounds.

Beers said he knew something was suspicious about the man when he appeared overly eager to explain why he was at the rest stop.

“I pulled the car up and was getting out, and before I even said anything, he blurted out: ‘I’m waiting for a bus,’ ” Beers said.

At a nearby convenience store that was part of the rest area complex, Beers met a state trooper involved in the case and learned that the man wanted in the dumping of the Buick was wearing a brown jacket and carrying a duffel bag.

That matched the man who was waiting at the rest area bench, so Beers returned to the scene.

Beers, together with a state trooper and a Garfield County sheriff’s deputy, began questioning the man, who said he had been mugged and had lost his identification. The man also said he had gotten off a bus to Parachute, but Beers said his story did not match with the bus schedule.

Then, as the suspect stood up, a gun fell to the ground, Beers said. “I knew we had him,” he said.

Police handcuffed the man and arrested him, but he began complaining of chest pains and was transported to a local hospital for observation before being booked.

Authorities said they used fingerprints to identify Stanley, although the suspect gave them a different name for several hours after his arrest.

“He had no identification on him and stuck to his story until midday (Sunday),” said Capt. Bill Denisi of the Fountain Valley Police Department. “Finally, he admitted he was Stanley, but by then it was a moot point because we had made the fingerprint comparison and we knew it was Stanley.”

Police believe the loaded gun that the suspect dropped may be the break they were awaiting.

“We are very hopeful this will turn out to be the murder weapon. It was a .38 that was used at the crime scene,” Denisi said.

Although authorities were still uncertain where Stanley spent his time between Thursday and early Sunday, they said the battered Buick indicated he had done considerable off-road driving.

How Stanley Was Captured

1) Authorities find Stanley’s abandoned car at 12:30 a.m. Sunday; license plate check reveals that the car is linked to Orange County murders.

2) Police officer questions Stanley at rest area before 2 a.m.; Stanley gives a false name, says he’s waiting for bus to Denver; officer calls for backup; as Stanley is searched for weapons, a .38-caliber gun drops from his left pants leg; he is arrested.

3) Stanley complains of chest pains; is taken to hospital and discharged.

4) Taken to Mesa County Jail.

Source: Parachute Police Department

Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times